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A legend in the making

Bassekou Kouyaté is widely regarded as the next African musician with the potential to attract a global audience. But, at 41, he has taken a while getting there: "In Mali," he says, "the tradition is that established musicians try to hold the new generation back, but Ali Farka Touré was always supportive of me and encouraged me to find my own voice. He always said I had no idea what magic I could do with my left hand."

Kouyaté is holding the instrument that might propel him to international fame, the ngoni , which looks like a child's cricket bat covered in animal hide. The four strings that stretch from the bridge to the end of its long neck have already created a stir. Damon Albarn proclaimed him the "perfect proof of how inspirational African music can be", and Fatboy Slim reckoned he "warms the heart and shakes the hips".